23 cases solved and only one more to go before Elementary‘s third season comes to an end this week. We take a look back at our seven favorite cases from season 3.

Procedurals are powerhouses of story-telling. 24 episodes per season means 24 unique cases that serve two major purposes — keep the audience captivated and advance the B story of the series. Elementary‘s writing staff gave us a season of drug cartels, rare flowers, beekeepers, and cartographers to keep Holmes and Watson (and for a time, Kitty Winter) busy as their personal stories underscored the tone of the season.

Here are our seven favorite cases from Elementary season 3.

Locked room murder

Episode 1: ‘Enough Nemesis to Go Around’

Watson and Holmes reunite in NYC after eight months apart to solve the murder of a key character witness that took place in a closed elevator with no sign of entry or exit. The architect of the murder is no mystery, but the executor and method by which he carried out the act become the focus of Sherlock and Joan’s attention. The theft of a super magnet and the use of a hotel room adjacent to the elevator shaft triggered the removal of carefully concealed bullets in the wall.

“Watson, try to understand. A detective comes across only so many locked room mysteries during the course of their career. I myself have only ever encountered seven.” – Sherlock

When will this math be useful?

Episode 3: ‘Just a Regular Irregular’

Harlan Emple makes his grand return to the side of Sherlock Holmes when a math puzzle hunt goes awry. Solving complex number games is where Harlan thrives, but when the path leads him to a dead body, he stumbles upon a mystery more suited for his “friend.” The only way to solve the puzzle is to keep playing, but as Harlan’s comrades keep moving forward, more bodies show up. The mastermind behind the puzzle hoped to lure Harlan into a death trap after Harlan’s anonymous web postings exposing bad math in the lottery system put an end to a free payday.

“Oh, I work without a shirt. It makes me feel closer to the numbers.” – Harlan

Artificial meets real intellect

Episode 4: ‘Bella’

Sherlock Holmes quickly discovers that the Turing Test is a bit outdated for the software ‘Bella,’ which takes its form in a talking doll. Calling on the best 16 year old irregular, Mason, Sherlock gets to work trying to figure out how a computer software program can begin to ask for information that it is not programmed to compute. Oh, and how the software called upon a virus that would kill its creator by inducing a seizure. Turns out that the band Goat Whore and Bella’s creator’s appreciation of heavy metal music is the culprit responsible for transmitting a virus into Bella’s software. Sherlock cannot convict the man in question because it comes at the cost of a moral ultimatum. In the final moment of the episode, however, it seems that Bella might actually be smarter than he is willing to give her credit for.

“I don’t understand the question. Can I have more information?” – Bella

Are you baking something?

Episode 7: ‘The Nutmeg Concoction’

A heavy irregular focus on the opening episodes of season 3 invites another one of Sherlock’s contacts who goes by the title “The Nose.” A lull in casework leads Sherlock to take on a string of unsolved cold cases that all have a common denominator. Formerly a crime scene cleaner, an artist who took over the family business, now holds cabinets full of a dissolving agent that is laced with nutmeg that “The Nose” believes conceals the substances and other chemical identifiers. Failing to hold up his end of the familial pact, the chemical sends him running down the drain of his sink with nothing but his fake knee left behind.

“I’ve asked Ms. Hudson to notify me if she hears any mention of the aroma of pumpkin pie at a crime scene or any reference at all to the scent of baking.” – Sherlock

“You really expect the police to smell nutmeg?” – Watson

“I expect nothing, which is why I’m such an exceptional detective.” – Sherlock

Honored and disgraced

Episode 8: ‘End of Watch’

The NYPD’s tradition of honoring policemen killed in the line of duty calls upon all active duty members of the force who can be spared to attend an Inspector’s Funeral. Thousands of cops away from duty would make armories a vulnerable target for an illegal arms dealer to attack. That is exactly the plan that hatches when a former cop who got in too deep with his drug dealer stopped meeting his quota of stolen weapons.

“Cuffs are too tight, man.” – Niko

“You noticed. Good. They belonged to Casey Hatem, the cop you murdered in Queens the other night.” – Detective Bell

Betting against the sky

Episode 15: ‘When Your Number’s Up’

This particular case deviated from the norm of Elementary storytelling by giving the audience a good look at the killer in the act a few times before Sherlock Holmes made his deductions. The victims are left with envelopes of money on their bodies as a statement about their worth. After a plane crash left 81 passengers dead, the airline was faced with a decision to either pay out a lump sum to every family member, or base the pay off a formula that determines how much a person would have been worth if they survived. The murderer, in this case, would benefit from a lump settlement not based on her husband’s deteriorating health.

“So, our culprit might be a homicidal maniac, but you can’t say they’re not putting their money where their mouth is.” – Detective Bell

It’s all fun and games until someone dies

Episode 16: ‘For All You Know’

The final of our favorite cases this season is the perfect segue into Holmes’ final case of season 3. The first hint of a personal crisis hitting Sherlock Holmes arrived in episode 16, when he is the number one suspect in a murder that took place at the height of his addiction. Piecing together the shattered memories of that time proved to be painful to relive. Sherlock comes out clean, but discovers that while he did not kill the woman, he also forgot to save her after she came to him for help.

“I don’t think you missed anything.” – Watson

“No, I just forgot someone who needed my help.” – Sherlock

“Where are you going?” – Watson

“Walk.” – Sherlock

“It should trouble me, right? How often I believe that?” – Sherlock

Read more on this case before this week’s finale here: Elementary season 3, episode 16 recap: The man you know

Watch Elementary season 3, episode 24, “A Controlled Decent,” Thursday, May 14 at 10:00 p.m. ET on CBS.